Inexpensive, disposable butane lighters have enjoyed increasing popularity in recent years. The present invention relates to an inexpensive and attractive leather holder for such cigarette lighters, adapted for carrying the lighter about the neck of a wearer.
Containers made of flexible sheet material, are well known in the prior art. Such containers are illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 916,802 to Thompson and U.S. Pat. No. 2,253,688 to Collins. Typically the prior art containers include a flexible bottom wall portion and are adapted for carrying loose goods on the person such as tobacco products or bait, as is the case with the above-mentioned patents. The prior art also includes containers for carrying items, such as a camera, about the neck of a wearer. These containers typically have bottom walls and/or locking mechanisms for retaining the devices in the container. The containers known in the prior art are not well suited for use with butane lighters for the following reasons: (1) known containers are expensive to fabricate due to the requirement that they have a bottom wall or locking mechanism to retain the items carried therein, (2) known containers are not constructed to display the carried items in an ornamental fashion; and (3) known containers are not adapted to hold a cigarette lighter in such a way that the lighter is readily accessible and easily operated while held in the container and while the container is carried on the person of the wearer.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a holder for a cigarette lighter which is easily and inexpensively fabricated.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette lighter holder constructed without a bottom wall or locking mechanism for retaining the lighter in the holder.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette lighter holder, into which the lighter is easily inserted and in which the lighter is securely retained after insertion.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a holder for disposable butane lighters which is sufficiently inexpensive that it may be discarded with the lighter.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a leather holder for a disposable butane lighter which covers the plastic butane tank of the lighter while exposing the actuator mechanism for easy operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette lighter holder for carrying the lighter in an ornamental fashion about the neck of the wearer.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette lighter holder, adapted to be worn about the neck, which maintains the lighter in a vertical orientation, in a position similar to a pendant, with the actuator of the lighter located uppermost and exposed at all times for easy access and operation.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the appended drawings.